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Candida is the scientific name for yeast, a fungus that lives almost everywhere, including on and in the human body — on the skin and in the mouth, throat, gut and vagina. Usually the immune system keeps it in check, and it causes no symptoms. An infection, candidiasis, happens when it grows out of control: when someone is ill, for example, or taking antibiotics.
Where it strikes
What a yeast infection does depends on where it takes hold.
| Type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Vaginal yeast infection (vaginal candidiasis) | itching, soreness and discharge; causes vaginitis. One of the most common fungal infections |
| Thrush (mouth and throat) | white patches in the mouth, redness or soreness |
| Esophageal candidiasis | thrush that spreads to the esophagus, the tube carrying food from the mouth to the stomach; swallowing becomes hard or painful |
| Skin | itching and rashes |
| Invasive candidiasis | infection of the bloodstream (candidemia) or of organs such as the kidney or brain, or of bones; fever and chills are common. Can be life-threatening |
Invasive candidiasis is a different kind of illness from the others. It occurs in people who are already sick and in hospital, which makes its symptoms hard to pin down, and it is not a risk for healthy people.
Which yeasts
Many species of Candida live on the body harmlessly. The ones that most often overgrow and cause candidiasis are Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei. Candida auris, which emerged in 2009, behaves differently from most: it spreads easily in health care settings, passing from people onto surfaces and objects, where it can survive a long time.
Who is at risk
A weakened immune system and certain medicines raise the risk of candidiasis. Other risks depend on the type:
- pregnancy and hormonal changes make vaginal yeast infections more likely;
- people with HIV/AIDS are more likely to get esophageal candidiasis;
- in hospital, a central venous catheter, surgery and chemotherapy raise the risk of invasive candidiasis and candidemia.
Treatment
Antifungal medicines clear yeast infections in most people. They come as creams, lozenges and oral rinses applied where the infection is, as pills, or as intravenous solutions given into a vein. Which one, how much and for how long depends on the type and severity of the infection and on the person's other health conditions. Treatment can be harder for someone with a weak immune system.
Sources
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, "Yeast Infections." https://medlineplus.gov/yeastinfections.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "About Candidiasis," used for the species, risk factors and forms of treatment. https://www.cdc.gov/candidiasis/about/index.html
- Rewritten in hubnx's own words.
Licens: CC0 1.0 (allmän egendom) · Bearbetat efter medlineplus.gov
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